Hizbullah Criticizes 'Vile' Reports Linking Suleiman's Thursday Speech to Rocket Attack

Hizbullah slammed on Friday reports that linked President Michel Suleiman's speech about the resistance on Army Day to the rockets that landed near the presidential palace in Beirut's suburb of Baabda.

"The goals behind the crime that targeted military sites and the surroundings of the presidential palace in Baabda are known,” the party said in a released statement.

“Terrorists are still aiming at harming the military institution on the Army Day, which is a national holiday that unites all the Lebanese people. We strongly condemn this crime.”

Two rockets fell in the Baabda area on Thursday evening, one of them near the presidential palace, in the third such incident in less than two months.

MTV said the rockets were fired from “a barren area in Souk al-Gharb” near Aley, adding that the attack caused no casualties among military personnel or civilians.

Hizbullah criticized local and Arab media reports that “rushed” after the rocket attack to focus on Suleiman's Thursday speech regarding the resistance's weaponry and its role.

"Linking the president's statement to the attack is a despicable and blatant attempt.”

The party continued: “We were surprised by attempts to start feuds between the Lebanese people, through weakening their institutions, their forces, their unity and their consensus over main national issues.”

"Running after violence and crimes as means to face the opposing political opinion in the country is an unsuccessful strategy that exposes incapability and political failure.”

The party stressed on its continuous support for the military institution and its solidarity with its forces "under all conditions."

"We call for a solidarity campaign with this institution to preserve the country and its people, and to avoid conspiracies targeting Lebanon,” Hizbullah's statement added.

In a ceremony marking the 68th anniversary of the army’s founding on Thursday, Suleiman criticized Hizbullah without naming it, saying it was time for the Lebanese state and the army to be the sole decision-makers on the use of the nation's capabilities.

“It has become urgent to approve a defense strategy after the resistance's arms went beyond Lebanon's borders,” Suleiman stated.

“Out of our differentiation between the resistance and terrorism, it is time for the state and the army to be the sole decision-makers on the use of force,” he added.

“The army's role would be difficult if a party or more get involved in conflicts outside Lebanon,” he said.